The last couple weeks I have been working my way through dozens of Bible and theology questions which people have submitted through that “ask a question” area in the sidebar. Here is a question someone sent in about the signs of a false conversion:
How would one know if they experienced a false conversion? I was raised in church with a very religious controlling mother. I continued in church through my teens and twenties and then married a minister.
This past year I started to struggle with my faith… It came to a head in October when I felt like the Holy Spirit departed.
I then had what I would term a mini nervous breakdown. After that point I feel like I was shown that I had been working against God all along and His people…. Jealousy envy, anger… All the while not even realizing that my heart was in the state it was in. I have had very dark thoughts even about God and am now concerned about the unpardonable sin.
I have not felt His presence since October. I feel empty and dead inside. How do I know if I am or was saved and if it is possible that I am now outside of grace?
Below is my answer to this question about false conversions. Please feel free to weigh in with your own perspective in the comment section below.
There are countless millions of people who struggle with this exact same question about the signs of a false conversion.
Are you ready for a short and shocking answer about the signs of false conversion? Here it is:
There are none.
What?! There are no sure signs of a false conversion? How can this be? Doesn’t Scripture teach us about good trees bearing good fruit? Doesn’t James warn us against dead faith? Don’t churches and pastors tell us to bear fruit worthy of repentance?
Yes, these are the sorts of things Scripture says and the sorts of things pastor preach. And while I believe those Scriptures, I understand them differently than how they are explained from most pulpits and in most books.
So let’s back up a little bit and see if I can unpack my short answer.
I am not denying that there is such a thing as false conversion; I am only denying that there are signs of false conversion. Yet Scripture provides a clear and simple way to know whether or not you have been truly converted….
Confused yet? Let’s break it down….
There is Such a Thing as False Conversion
It is true that there is such a thing as a false conversion. There are many who believe they have eternal life, but may not in fact have this free gift of God, because they do not understand what how God gives eternal life to us.
On the one hand, there are countless numbers of people who think they received eternal life when they walked an isle at a revival or evangelism crusade. Or maybe they signed a card, raised a hand, or said a prayer. If you ask someone how they know they have eternal life, and they say something like “When I was 10 my church had a guest evangelist come speak, and when he gave an altar call I went forward and prayed the sinners prayer” it is possible that this person does not actually understand what the Bible says about how to receive eternal life.
Then there the millions of people who believe that our own good works play some sort of role in gaining, keeping, or proving eternal life. Some teach that “Jesus has done His 99% and we must do our 1%.” This is the idea that there is a role we must play to gain eternal life.
Others say, “No, we don’t have to do anything to gain eternal life; it is the free gift of God (Eph 2:8-9), but if we want to keep eternal life, we have to live a life of holiness and obedience. If you commit certain sins, or do not repent of your sins, or fail to confess a sin, or live in sin for an extended period of time, well, then you no longer have eternal life. Either you give it back or God takes it back.”
Finally, there are many who say that if a person truly has eternal life, they can never lose it, but their good works will prove that they actually have it. If they do not have the good works to back up their claim, then they never really had eternal life to begin with. Theirs was a false faith, a spurious faith, a fake faith.
What does the Bible say about about conversion?
The Bible pretty clearly indicates that eternal life is an absolutely free gift of God which He gives to anyone and everyone who simply and only believes in Jesus Christ for it (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47, etc.).
And since there is no good work that is necessary to earn eternal life, there is also no good work that is necessary to keep it. And while we would hope and expect that people who have eternal life will live lives of increasing holiness and obedience, the fact that God has given us freedom means that a life of good works is not guaranteed.
To sum up then, Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.
So what does all this have to do with the question of true and false conversion? Well, based on what we have seen so far, how can you know if you have been converted? Answer: If you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, then God promises that you have eternal life.
It really doesn’t matter how we feel at some point in our life, or what mistakes we have made, or whether or not we can sense the Holy Spirit’s presence. It is God’s guaranteed promise that if we believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, then we have it.
This why I say that there are no signs of false conversion. To know whether or not we have been converted, there is only faith in the unfailing promises of God through Jesus Christ. Outward experiences, our own good works, and the inner feelings of our hearts are not reliable indicators of whether or not we are part of God’s family. Being part of God’s family is by faith from first to last.
All of that was to answer your first question about being falsely converted. How can you know whether or not you were falsely converted? Well, do you believe in Jesus for eternal life? If so, you have eternal life. It is God’s promise.
Knowing the Love and Acceptance of God
This then should help you with the rest of your questions. It is difficult being a pastor’s wife. It is difficult feeling that the Holy Spirit has departed (He hasn’t, by the way). It is difficult dealing with jealousy, envy, and anger. It is difficult feeling empty and dead inside.
But through all these emotions and feelings, remember this: God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Though what you are going through right now is extremely painful, God is with you in this time and is seeking to strengthen and solidify your faith during this time. You are experiencing a winter in your relationship with God, a time that some have called “the dark night of the soul.” But spring will come. The light will dawn once again. The sense of God’s presence will return.
While you wait, remember God’s many promises in Scripture, that He loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you, and that you have eternal life because you have believed in Jesus for it.
If you want to weigh in on this theological question, please feel free to add your comments below. Also, please consider sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook below so that others can benefit from the discussion on this theological question.
To believe in Jesus is to Love and obey Jesus Christ.
Love and obey, for there is no other way; to get eternal life; but to love and obey – Jesus Christ says:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
How do we know Him? …..
John 14:21-24
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:21-24.
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:3-6
Charles,
It does no good just to quote verses. I study and teach those same verses to support the view I am presenting in this post. Eternal life is a free gift of God to all who simply and only believe in Jesus for it.
Jeremy, I’m sure you’ve read Jonathan Edwards “Religious Affection” that talks principally about signs and whether we can conclude anything from them. Short answer is almost identical to yours – nothing can be concluded. But feelings nevertheless are vitally important. The only sign I say is something of a guarantee is Christlike life, but even then, as Edwards warns, it is possible to do such things with wrong motives. I think it is trust in Jesus to do what he said he would and this trust should be grounded in love of him. Humans are terribly fickle so there’s no guarantee with us, but we can rely on Jesus.
Yes, I read this book. It was 20 years ago or so. I do not recall what he wrote though.
You are absolutely right. Humans are terribly fickle, and so the only thing we can do is rely on Jesus.
Your answers to this woman’s questions and doubts are perfect, Jeremy. I agree wholeheartedly.
Everyone who doubts his or her salvation displays for the very same reason that they have been saved by God because people who never think about God won’t have the same doubts, will they? Those people are not concerned about having been saved/converted/redeemed or not, it’s all the same to them.
From my own experience I can say that there were many times of dryness and emptiness in the past, often accompanied with depression. In hindsight I have realized that these times were precious times although such experiences didn’t make me feel as if there was anything worthy in them.
I just want to anticipate the result by telling this woman that such a condition – which is anything but pleasant – is always only a state of testing/preparation/changing before God is going to reveal Himself on a higher level than before. Nonetheless, sometimes we need patience until He finally reveals Himself by ‘knowing’ (i.e. loving) you as in John 17:3 (as Charles rightly mentioned above) described. But certainly, He will do it.
Looking at our own wavering faith will probably increase the doubts. Regarding our feelings, as Jeremy clearly pointed out, they cannot be the proper indicator of assurance because our feelings always spring from our own thoughts. And if our thought life has become negative and pessimistic, our feelings cannot help but follow them, and soon we find ourselves in a kind of bottomless pit, feeling forsaken by God who promised quite contrary to it,
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20 ESV)
Since I don’t want to repeat myself, I could offer a link to an article on which I commented recently as for this conversion issue on another blog site. Here’s the link.
http://emmascrivener.net/2013/10/conversionexperience/
As to Charles’s Scriptures above, I would only like to add that all these virtues are God given: faith, obedience, and love.
(1) FAITH (Ps 37:5; 2 Pt 1:1)
” Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
“To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(2) OBEDIENCE (Ez 36:26-27)
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
(3) LOVE (Jer 24:7; Rom 5:5)
“I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”
“… because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Blessings,
Susanne
Thank you for weighing in, Susanne.
You make the point well that we cannot rely on our own good works or feelings for whether or not we have eternal life. We must look to Jesus alone, and believe that His promises to us are true!
How would one define “false conversion”? I think of I John 2:19,”They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.” Not sure if the term “false conversion” would apply here but certainly seems that some may appear to be of the faith but in reality or not, which at least sometimes, the long term confirms.
Yes, maybe I should have defined it better. There are definitely people who think they have eternal life, but do not. I just don’t think good works or feelings are a good indication of true or false conversion. Usually, those who do have a “false” conversion, are those who are trusting in their own good works in some way.
For those that struggle with this subject, I would suggest reading the book “The Great Gospel Deception”, by David Servant. It can be purchased and is also free on his web site. Here is a link to the first chapter. http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/ggd/ggd_01
Enjoy!
Haven’t heard of it. What is his basic idea?
This book examines the modern gospel that is so popular in America and around the globe, but that is often lacking when compared to the gospel of the Bible. The primary difference is that the modern gospel portrays a grace that is foreign to Scripture, a grace that is actually a license to sin. Whereas the gospel of the Bible reveals a grace from God that offers people a limited time to repent and a promise of freedom from sin. ~ https://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/false_grace_gospel
For those that struggle with this subject, I would suggest reading the book “The Great Gospel Deception”, by David Servant. It can be purchased and is also free on his web site. Here is a link to the first chapter. http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/ggd/ggd_01
Enjoy!
Ephesians 1: 13 And you were also included in Christ; when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation HAVING BELIEVED, YOU WERE MARKED IN HIM WITH A SEAL, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s POSSESION – to the praise of his glory
It looks to me that you are convicted by the holy spirit .. I am not sure if the lady has been born again ( only God knows) but, her situation is where actually God wants her to be honest to Him and ask forgiveness….
In the case of false conversion, I always see there are two cases.
One : a person who already belong to God, do sin, holy spirit convict him/her…. if he /s she stubborn, he/she will not ask forgiveness until they are really stuck( eg David story)… then come back again to the cross. but the salvation is already belong to him/her. it is already promised. ( Ephesian 1: 13)
two : a person who not yet belong to God, but holy spirit, has not been given to him( because he/she is not belong to God). so that is why if God knock on his/her heart, mostly they hardened they heart( eg the pharaoh in Moses time)…. making more excuses…. until… who knows…. only God knows… they are ready to make decision to choose God….. or not until they die…
with the person who believe in God’s word, the holy spirit was given to them guarantee will not leave them.. only If I imagine,,, we put the holy spirit in the corner of our heart when we do not want to obey Him, until we stuck and realize our mistake and ready to listen to God again. and why the lady felt that holy spirit departed? I do not think it was holy spirit departed, but that what kind of the feeling happen when you are battling with God, and when she listen to herself more than God.
but it does not mean the guarantee of her salvation is departing or gone. His promise is faithful… That is His nature 🙂
There was a pastor at my church who’s wife “lost her faith”. He eventually had to leave the church (I don’t recall if it was his choice or not). I heard that he’s preaching at a church in another town, but don’t know if his wife ever found her faith.
“Dark Night of the Soul”–I was thinking the same thing Jeremy. God has put me through seasons of departure to see if I would worship Him just the same. It’s difficult, but the outcome is worth it.
Yes, the outcome is worth it. If you make it through, you come out stronger in your faith and in your relationship with God.
Hi,
I’d like to make a very practical comment on this topic.
I committed my life to Jesus Christ in October 1960 at the age of 18. Now I’m almost 72.
Many times in the interim my faith in Jesus Christ has been tried and tested. Many times the devil has told me that I’m no more “saved” than a rattle-snake.
Only the witness of the Holy Spirit deep within has assured me otherwise.
There is another point that needs to be shared. I’m serving Jesus Christ because He is worthy and because I trust Him. What happens to me when I’m gone is no longer an issue. I love Him and will serve Him even if at the very end I find myself in hell! . It won’t happen because He is trustworthy
Abraham’s words to the Lord remain true to this very day. Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Gen 18:25 ESV
The Lord Jesus will always do what is right, regardless of our feelings.
Shalom
Jim Strickland
Jim,
Thanks for sharing part of your story.
I agree about the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, but it is such a subjective thing, and many of us what something that is less nebulous. Of course, “faith in Jesus” may seem somewhat subjective as well. How much faith? What kind of faith? Faith about what? How long should the faith last? Etc. Difficult issues!
This is a totally new thing for me as the question asked is very intimate indeed.
The answer here is the revelation you had of receiving a revelation from Holy Spirit (conviction) that you realised you harboured negative thoughts, envy, anger, jealousy and dark thoughts about God.
Receiving this revelation means you have Holy Spirit in you and He is saying to look at each of these things, see where they eminate from, it could be family, friends, people you meet or wider issuies. Once you have identified the root, simply repent of them, asking Holy Spirit to enable you to cast the negative thoughts out and replace them with your inate ability to love those you feel you have sinned against.
it’s not easy for us to do especially when we have judged them to be undeserving of a perceived gift they may have received or a wrong they are involved in.
I have had and still am struggling with forgiving those who I see in the wrong, yet I have no authority to judge thrm or harbour negative thoughts. Im still hoping and praying thst Gid will give me the humility to really love thise I feel I could not possibly love.
Even though im not there yet, I know the Lord is not condemning me, I am deeply loved as you are by the Lord, and we are a work in progress.
If you read this please don’t take on any sense of condemnation as I believe tgst you msy feel in a bad place, but the truth is you are not in fact you are in the right place and are moving forward.
I have always believed that the devil condemns and Holy Spirit convicts and enables us to move forward.
I’ll leave the last words to Jesus Matthew 7 v 7 “ask and it will be given unto
you, seek and you will, knock and it will be opened unto you. Love Clive X
Someone saud to me years ago “if you feel your about to fall, make sure you fall forwards and not backwards”.
Great points, Clive. You have given some good ideas about repentance and gaining freedom from sin. Hopefully all followers of Jesus are growing in Christlikeness every day.
Sorry for all the errors as I have used my I pad. Clive
I’m on my laptop now and will redo from “Even though I’m not there yet”.
Even though I know I’m not there yet, I know the Lord is not condemning me, I am deeply loved, as you are by the Lord, and we are a ‘work in progress’.
If you read this please don’t take on any sense of condemnation, as I believe that you are feeling you are in a bad place, but the truth is you are not, in fact you are the right place and are moving forward.
I have always believed that the devil condemns and Holy Spirit convicts and enables us to move forward.
Someone once said to me “if you feel you are about to fall, make sure you fall forwards not backwards” in other words, fall towards God’s mercy.
I’ll leave the last words to Jesus in Matthew 7 v 7
“ask and it will be given unto you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you. For all who asks receives, all who seek find, and the door is opened to everyone who knocks.
You parents’ if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not. If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.
Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of All that is taught in the law and the prophets. Love Clive X
Now this site is Loving! As Jesus stood before the most cruel offenders he loved them. WOW! These days are blazing in fire, the baptism Jesus told us would come, first to the believer, then to the world at large. Although my heart breaks and my eyes tear up over the soul that cries in fear and doubt of her salvation, I am highly encouraged by the Love these remnant have to reach out and support. This is the very love that will redeem the lost. I am awed and amazed at this love! The tiniest amount of true love is mightier than thousands. Here is the virgin bride of Christ. The spirit and the word when married bring children of eternal beauty and surely are the New Jerusalem;
Lions and Lambs
Andrew,
Kind of a strange comment! But yes, the tiniest bit of love is mightier than thousands.
I guess there might have to be an understanding of the word conversion. One of Webster’s definitions is, “the act or process of changing from one form, state, etc., to another.” That being said, I was raised Catholic and never taught to open a bible. We memorized the Catechism, went to mass everyday and celebrated the holy days. I’m glad for that because otherwise, I may never have known Jesus. I remember sitting in church with my St. Joseph Missal that had Latin on one side and English on the other and to relieve my boredom, I would go back and forth trying to decipher what the were saying in Latin. In the midst of all that, I remember thinking, ” I love you Jesus, but I don’t know why.” Not sure how old I was, but I remember this astounding memory.
Then life stepped in. I was in my teens in the 60s. Made lots and lots of wrong choices, many I am ashamed of even today. It makes my stomach upset as I think of them. My biggest regrets is how I influenced my children with my rendition of culture at that time. When I was 47, my mistakes had fully caught up with me and I needed to make a change. I picked up the Bible and asked a God to help me make a difference in my life. When I came to justification reading through Romans, I spent about 6 hours on my patio in the cold and snow and confessed everything I could think that I did wrong. I wanted it all out! What a relief!
As a side note, I had gone to a priest about 15 years earlier and confessed all. He asked me if I felt better and I said, “No.” He asked me why and I replied,”I don’t know why.” Then I went back to my same old lifestyle, until I reached the point I mentioned above on my patio.
I had no mentor, but I had been listening to J Vernon MaGee on WORD-FM. I bought his commentaries and began a personal Bible study just about every evening and morning. My life changed. Overtime God provided a way for me to leave my career of 29 years and changed to a career of teaching that was more inline with my gifts, I met a man whose life mirrored mine and he had been converted. My children’s lives improved. My new husband and I found a teaching church and we went to licensed ministry school. We were called to minister to a small congregation about 4 years ago. I still teach at a middle school and I’m in my 10th year there –probably 2 more years.
Everyone’s life walk creates a different conversion experience. When did mine take place? I believe the day I was maybe 10, when I told Jesus I loved him. Even through the sins of my early life, I can look back and say that he was there ‘trying’ to get me see the light of Him. I was such a foolish girl!
My biggest regrets come today now that I know better! I am a sinner still, but I know that clearly. What have I missed on this path that has been set for me when I do sin? It’s distressing.
I sat at my fathers death bed. I believe that he willed himself to die, 82 years old and discouraged with all he lost in life–his independence, his dogs, his home and some of his friends. He just sat there, no struggle to breathe, refusing oxygen. He just sat there. In the hour I sat with him, we sporadically had 4 different conversations. One being, I asked him if I could pray for him.
Now I must preface this with a conversation we had about 5 years earlier. I was telling him something I had just learned from my bible studies and he became angry. He said, ” You act as if I don’t know who Jesus is!” My father was not going to church, reading the Bible (that I know of) nor were some of his words and actions Christian-like.
So as I prayed with him on his death bed, I asked Jesus to remember that he said that he knew Him I have to believe that my father was saved or I have no hope for him or for my own sins that I still commit today.
One thing I believe that when judgment day comes, the final one will be for those who were converted. And the rewards will come according to our actions here on earth. I don’t expect much, but I do believe that I have had some rewards here and that satisfies me. I don’t worry about later. God has blessed me by seeing and experiencing so much in my family, teaching and in ministering to others and for those mercies I give him praise!
You are right. I should have probably defined conversion from the start. It is a rare biblical word too, and so to adequately answer the question, we would need to see how the word is used in the Bible too. Thanks for your comment!
thank you for this post Jeremy i recently had someone tell me that if i didn’t show any good works then i was having a false faith or whatever. im gonna forward this to that person ! also im curious if there are any books or other articles on this subject. god bless jeremy you helped me so much
Thanks, Erick. Yes, that is a person who is looking to good works for assurance of salvation, when instead, we must be looking to Jesus Christ alone!
The way I see it is if you know you are separated from God by the sin in your life and you tell him you recognize him as your only possible savior and you believe that he paid the price for you and rose again defeating death and the grave then he either forgives you and saves you or he doesn’t. It is his choice at that point and his testimony is that he is faithful and true and has promised to forgive all that believe in Him as their savior. If he is the creator of all and cannot tell a lie then you are saved and your debt is paid, you have his word on it. Now believing that he truly forgave you without you doing works to earn it goes against all of our human nature. We believe nothing is free and everything has a price, but God’s gift is priceless and was paid for by Jesus’ blood….the only currency God would accept. If we can really understand the magnificence of this sacrifice done on our behalf, then the reality of that gift transforms us and makes want to serve and please him. The fruit of the spirit can only come as we truly accept the fact that we are unconditionally and completely forgiven forever. I am 53 years old and Jesus saved me when I was 9. I knew then who he was, what he offered and that I desperately need him as my savior so when I confessed him as the son of God, asked for his forgiveness and believed in him as my savior he made me one of his own. But it has taken a lifetime since then to know for sure I am saved because it was a gift that was beyond my comprehension, but after reading the Bible and immersing my life in his word I finally know I have his unfailing promise that I am saved.
Spot on. I am amazed at how Christians still don’t understand the concept of grace. I include myself in that by the way. But coming to salvation is simple. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in His grace.
The Bible disagrees with you.
I John 2:4
I John 2:15
James 4:4
Matthew 15:8
Matthew 7:21-23
John 14:23-24
1 John 1:6-7
Matthew 7:15-16
Titus 1:16
2 Timothy 3:5
1 John 4:1
John 13:35
The Word of God speaks for itself. Let those who want to know the truth read the Word for themselves.
I have a question. I got saved back in February but have only been really living for Jesus from May. I an struggling with fear I am not enough, doing enough, changing enough, stopping sinning. That I am disappointing God, fear of feeling unsaved that I am a goat and not a sheep. That I am just useless and unworthy of God.